Pea-sheller



M. 1:". KIDD.

PEA SHBLLER.

(No Mddel.)

No. 337,960. Patented Mar. 16, 1886.

INVENTOR:

WITNESSES: m

Attorney.

N. PETERS. Pholo-Mhogmphnr. Wnhingiun D. C.

UNTTE STATES PATENT Fries.

MICHAEL F. KIDD, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

PEA-SHELLER.

EPECIEICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 337,960, dated March16, 1886.

Application filed July 14, 1885.

T all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, l\IICHAEL F. KIDD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Pea-Shellers, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates 'to improvements in pea-shellers in which the hullsof green peas are removed and separated from the same. I

accomplish this result by mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section through the device;Fig. 2, a top view of the rotating or under disk; Fig. 3, a section viewof one of the pins, showing the elastic covering; and Fig. 4, a sectionview of a pin consisting wholly of elastic material. 7

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The letter A designates the frame of the machine, which, as here shown,is of a conical form, with a receptacle, (1, in its base for the peasafter they are. shelled, and is so arranged that it may he slid in orout, as desired, and by which the peas are removed.

To the frame A is attached a circular hopper, B, which directs the peasas they drop from the screen 2) into the receptacle a, they passing intothe same through the opening 0 in the frame.

To the top of the frame A is secured rigidly a shaft, (Z, forming atrunnion on and around which the under disk, 0, freely rotates, and tothe top end of which is attached the upper and stationary disk, D, bymeans of a cross-beam, e, which extends across the central opening, f,and is secured to the shaft d and disk D by any suitable means, therebyholding the disk D, the shaft (Z, and the frame A rigidly together.

On top of the disk D is placed and secured a feeding-hopper, g, whichencircles the openingf, and which directs the pea pods into the saidopening as they are fed into the machine.

To the under side of the disk D is secured a series of pins, 71, whichproject downward, with their lower ends nearly touching the uppersurface of the lower disk, 0, and which are arranged in a series ofdifferent-diameter circles in such a position that they are and SerialNo. P115251. (No mo el.)

will be in circles intermediate in relation to the pins in the lowerrotating disk, 0.

To the periphery of the disk D is secured a cylindrical band, t, whichprojects downward and overlaps the lower disk, 0, the function of whichis to retard and direct the peas and pods to the screen I) as they arethrown outward from between the disks by the centrifugal force. Theunder disk is slightly smaller in diameter than the upper one, by whichthe circular opening it is formed, and through which the peas and podspass as they fall on the screen. The lower and rotating disk, 0, isarranged to rotate freely on the shaft (1 by being secured to the loosesleeve Z, which is provided with a pulley, m, and by which it and thedisk 0 are driven by a belt connected with suitable driving mechanism.

To the upper surface of the disk 0 are arranged pins h, which projectupward, and which are arranged like those on the disk D, but in circlesof different diameters thereto, so that they will move in circlesintermediate in relation to the ones in the upper disk, as above stated,thereby disintegrating the peapods and freeing the peas as they arepassed therebetween by the centrifugal force of the lower disk, 0.

In the center of the disk 0, and around the shaft (1, is arranged acone, a, the tendency of which is to force the pea-pods outward andbetween the pins h and h as they are fed to the machine.

To the under surface of the disk 0 is attached a cylindrical screen, I),which rotates with the disk, and which separates the peas from the podsby the former passing through the holes therein, which are of asufficient size to admit the same, the pods passing off from itsperiphery, and which are facilitated therein by having pieces of sheetmetal or brushes 0 placed at a tangent to the center of the ma chine andsecured to the upper and stationary disk, D. (See dotted line, Fig. 2.)

The pins h and h are either made of a hard substance-such as iron orwood-and covered with rubber or other elastic material, as shown in Fig.3, or wholly of elastic material, so that in either case they present anelastic surface, but are of sufficient stiffness to break ordisintegrate the pods, though the first-named construction ispreferable. The reason of having an elastic surface is, that while thepods are very tough the peas are easily bruised or scalped. Therefore itis very important, and almost essential, to have the pins constructed asabove described, the number of which and the number of circles beingregulated according to the capacity of the machine. The opposing rubbersurfaces, moreover, grasp the pods between them, and the disintegratingeffect is thereby increased. I

Either or both the disks may be made to rotate; but I prefer the lowerone only to do so, as the centrifugal force is more effective when themachine is arranged that way, and instead of the disks being fiat theymay be slightly concave and convexed or conical and produce the sameresults.

In operating the machine the disk 0 is rotated at rather a high speed,by which the centrifugal force is made available to feed the peas andpods through and from between the disks. The pods are then placed in thefeeding-hopper. from which they pass down between the disks, the cone astarting them out- Ward, or directing them into and between the pins hand h, which as they (the pods) pass outward are disintegrated by comingin contact with the stationary and moving pins, which release thepeas,the who1e(peas and pods)passing out through the opening is andfalling on the rotating screen b, which separates the peas from thepods, the former passing down through the screen 7) into the receptaclea, and the latter being thrown off from the outer edge of the screen,either by the centrifugal force or by the device 0, secured to the diskD,by coming in contact therewith.

' By this device all the peas are removed from the pods,from thesmallest to the larger ones, and in a superior manner, being free fromany bruises, and in a cleanly condition.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and wish to secure byUnited States Letters Patent, is

1. In a pea-sheller, the combination of the feed-hopper g, the disk 0,the disk D, and the interlapping elastic-surfaced pins h and h',securedto the said disks, whereby the pea-pods are disintegrated and thepeaswhen released therefrom are prevented from being injured.

2. In a pea-sheller, the combination of the disks 0 and D, theinterlapping elastic-surfaced pins h and h, secured to the said disks,the feedhopper 9, arranged to deliverthepea-podsinthe center of thedisks, and the band i, secured to the disk D, for the purpose as hereinset forth.

3. The combination of the. disks G and D, the pins h and h, secured tothe disks and-provided with an elastic covering, the feed-hop per g, anda screen secured to and extending around theedge of the disk 0, asherein set forth.

4. In a pea-sheller, the combination of the disks 0 and D, provided withinterlapping elastic-surfaced pins h and h, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MICHAEL F. KIDD.

YVitncsses:

W. H. PLUNKETT, Jim. T. MADDOX.

